The Politics of Nationalism in Canada: Cultural Conflict Since 1760

Gratien Allaire is a professor of history at Laurentian University in
Sudbury, Ontario.

Political history is in favor again among scholars. In a book aimed at
developing political history theory about legitimate political
representation and conflict regulation, David Chennells focuses on the
evolution of “exclusive nationalism,” which he describes as “a
politically significant force” in Canada. This brand of nationalism,
defined by its objectives, “cater[s] exclusively to a (generally
singular) linguistic, cultural, or religious group.”

After a thorough discussion of nationalism and conflict regulation,
Chennells presents the three different phases in the evolution of
exclusive nationalism. The first phase, from the Conquest to the 1840s,
is the “imposed statecraft”; the governor appointed by the British
Crown and his government are responsible for conflict regulation between
English and French. In the second phase, “affiliate trusteeship” led
to Confederation; leaders of both groups worked together to implement an
acceptable form of government. The third phase, “ethnic delegate
representation,” covers the rise of official exclusive nationalism in
Quebec in the 20th century.

Chennells uses the concept of “exclusive nationalism” effectively
in his explanation of French Canada and Quebec (he also applies it to
British merchants and officials in the late 18th and early 19th
centuries). He demonstrates quite well the “manifestations of
progressively more serious forms of exclusive nationalism” in Quebec
politics (e.g., popular chauvinism, demotic exclusive nationalism, and
official exclusive nationalism). He fails, however, to examine whether
this evolution was influenced by the exclusively British positions of
the English-Canadian group between the 1880s and the 1960s. This is a
major shift in logic; Chennells looks at both groups and conflict
resolution in the Canadian arena up to Confederation, and then limits
his study to the rise of exclusive nationalism in French Canada.

Despite this shortcoming, The Politics of Nationalism in Canada offers
much food for thought as it participates in the current debate on
Canadian and Québécois nationalism.